Island



T. B. HUESTlS.

' FEED MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED APR. 23. 1920.

1,437,059, Patented Nov. 28, 1922,

atented Nov 1922' THOMAS B. HUESTIS, OF BRISTOL, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR T0 REVERE RUBBER 1 COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF RHODE ISLAND.

FEED MECHISM.

Application filed April 23, 1920'. Serial No. 378,005.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS B. Huns'rrs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bristol, county of Bristol, and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. I

This invention relates to a feed mechanism, more particularly to a means for feeding material, such as sheet rubber, to a (he or other machine which is to operate upon the material.

An object of my invention is to provide a simple, efiicient, positive and ad ustable means for intermittently feeding a sheet of stock to a die or other mechanism for operating on the stock.

Another object of my invention is to prevent any retrograde movement of the stock in the intervals when it is not being fed forward.

A further object of my invention is to maintain the stock flat upon the work bed until acted upon by the die or other device.

For a complete -disclosure of the invention reference'is had to the accompanying specification and drawings, in which latter- Figure 1 is a perspective showing the application of the feed'mechanism to a die for cutting out rubber heel blanks; and

Figure 2 is a detail partly in section.

Referring to the drawings the numeral 1 represents the frame of a die mechanism having a bed. 2 over which the sheet stock is fed beneath the die head 3, the stock being then delivered by the inclined apron 4. At each side of the bed 2 are walls 5 having guideways 6, in which are mounted to slide the bearing blocks 7 of rock shaft 8. Rigidly and adjustably secured to the rock shaft, and extending forwardly in the direction of the die, are a series of arms 9, each of which carries a stock engagin and feeding finger 10. Also rigidly and a justably secured to the rock shaft 8 adjacent the side walls 5 are rock armsll, which extend outwardly over the walls 5 and then downwardly, terminating in rearward extensions 12, with which cams 13, mounted on a shaft 14, are adapted to contact. One end of the shaft 14 is provided with a bevel gear 15, with which is adapted to mesh a bevel gear 16, mounted on one end of shaft 17. The shaft 17 carries a sprocket 18 which is driven by a chain 21 from asprocket 19 mounted'on the main shaft 20 of the die apparatus. Any other suitable means for driving the shaft 14' may be used. The shaft 14 also carries at ts end opposite the bevel gear 15 .an-eccentr1c22, the strap 23 of which has an arm 24 plvotally connected with a rock arm 25, rlgldly'mounted on rock shaft 26. The throw of the eccentric may be varied by securing the arm 24 at different points 1n the adjustin slot 27 of arm 25, and a scale 28 is provided to aid in making such adjustment. Also rigidly connected to the rock shaft 26 is a rock arm 29 extending upwardly adjacent the rock arm ll and having a slot 30 through which a pin 31 secured on the arm 11, may project. The arm 11 is yieldably urged in opposition to the cam 13 by means of the coil spring 32, having its ends secured to the rock shaft 26 and pin 31.

A pair of rearwardlyv extending arms 33 are secured to the sides of the machine bed adjacent the die .head and their free ends are connected by a shaft 34, upon which are loosely mounted the bearing collars 35 of a series of toothed work engaging fin ers 36. -At one side of each collar 35 a co lar 37 is rigidly secured as by a set screw to a shaft 34, and a coil sprlng 38 surrounds vcollar 39 is rigidly secured by a set screw to shaft 34, and a pin 40 carried by the collar 39 is adapted to project into a limiting groove 41 in the collar 35. It will be seen from the drawings that the coil s ring 38 tends to urge the work engaging linger 36 in a rearward direction or toward the feed mechanism, and the movement of the finger 36 in either direction is limited by the pin 40 contacting with the ends of the groove 41. In the articular embodiment shown, the feed devlce is applied to a gang die for diein out blanks for rubber heels, but it is evldent that it is capable of general application move rearwardly,

'be noted movement of the stock they movement to the rockshaft 8 and supported parts forwardly toward the die, carrying the sheetstock into cooperation with the die. At the completion of the feed or forward movement the cams 13 allow the rock arms 11 to move downwardly again in response to the action of the coil spring 32, and the eccentric 22 through the previously recited connections, withdraws the feed mechanism. The toothed stock engaging portions of the stock engaging fingers 36 are slightlycurved upward y at their rear ends and as the stock passes beneath the fingers 36 they are dragged forwardly with it to a slight extent in opposition to the coil springs 38. However, f durin a retracting movement of the feed mec anlsm there is any tendency of the sheet stock to venting may rearward movement.

a relatively close to the feed fingers 10, so that in addition to preventin retrograde so maintain the stock at all times'in contact with the bed, particularly at the time the fingers 10 are being disengaged from the stoic after a forward "movement thereof. The collars 37 and 39 at each side of a bearing collar 35 'areillustrated as somewhat widely s aced from the collar 35 inorder to-more 0 early disclose the construction, but in ractice they will, of course, be secured to t e-shaft 34 closely adjacent to the collar 35 in order .to prevent unnecessary side movement of the latter.

While a specific application of the feedmechanism has been shown, it is not limited in its broad aspects to the particular construction described and illustrated, but ma shaft, and se arate operating connections from the sha to the feeding means for -ried by the rock s it a rocking motion and a the coil springs 38 cause the forward toothed portions of the fingers. '36 to jam against the stock, thereby pre- It will t the fingers 36 'are disposed prising a bed, a drive shaft -mounted above the bed,

, means,-a rock shaft,

prising a. bed, transversely spaced movement of the stock and simultaneously moving the feeding means into contact with the stock and also forwar prising a bed, a rock shaft mounted above the bed, stock en the bed to feed the stock,-'and means connected to said rock shaft for imparting to reciprocatory motion transversely to its axis. x3, A feed mechanism for sheet stock comprising a bed, guideways at the sides of the bed, a rock shaft journaled toslide in said guideways, stock engaging means fixedly mounted on said shaft, a rock arm connected to said shaft, and means for rocking and also bodily moving said arm.

4. A feed mechanism for sheet stock comprising a bed, a rock shaft mounted in slidable bearings above said bed, means secured to said shaft carrying stock enga ing fingers, rock arms secured to said sha t, yieldin meanssecured to one of said arms for ho ding said fingers elevated, means for intermittently rocking said arms to cause the fingers to engage the stock, and means contranslatory movement thereto.

5. .A feed mechanism for sheet stock comprising a bed, above the bed, a stock ceding means mounted in said guideways, cam arms carried by the stock feeding means, a shaft, cams thereon adapted to; actuate the cam arms, and means carried by the translatory movement to the cam arms.

6. A feed mechanism for sheet stock comextending transrock shaft slidably feed meanscarried by the rock shaft, and operating connections nected to one of said arms for imparting a versely below the bed, a

between the shafts for imparting a plurality of movements to the feed means.

7. In a machine for dieing outrubb'er heel blanks from sheet stock, a bed, and means for intermittently advancing a sheet of stock over the bed comprising stock gripping a rock arm on said shaft having a slidable connection with the stock gripping means, a second rock arm on said y shaft, a drive shaft, means carried thereby be used wherever it is desired to feed a sheet vancing the stock on the bed and including a series of pointed fingers adapted to enter the stock, and means including a series of movably mounted toothed fingers cooperating with the bed for preventing backward maintaining the (11 2. g feed mechanism forsheet stock com aging means rigidly araft and cooperating with v guidewa s at the sides of and 10o shaft for imparting a 1 latter in contact with the bed when the feedmechanism is retracted.

9. In a feed mechanism for sheet rubber stock, the combination of a bed, feed means cooperatin therewith including a series of stock-piercing fingers and having stock admeans tending to pressi said fingers firinly 16 into engagement with the stock-upon a retrograde movement of the latter, and mean's for varying the" pressure of said last named means.

Signed t Bristol, Rhode Island, this 'iao '1 day of March, 1920..

' j'rnoMes sgnuns'ris. 

